Mothers' Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices toward Neonatal Jaundice: A Cross-Sectional Study at a Public Sector Tertiary Care Hospital in Karachi, Pakistan

Abstract

Background: Globally, neonatal jaundice is a common condition among newborns and can lead to chronic illness if absent from assessment and management. Being primary caregivers of newborns, mothers are frontline caregivers in the early detection and management of neonatal jaundice. Objective: To determine mothers' knowledge, attitude and practices on neonatal jaundice at a public sector tertiary care institute in Karachi, Pakistan. Methodology: A cross-sectional study was done on mothers of neonates who were admitted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), and the pediatric and postnatal wards of the selected public sector hospitals in Karachi. A non-probability convenience sampling technique was employed, and 354 mothers participated in the study. Data were collected via a structured questionnaire. Data were analyzed via SPSS version 26. Utilizing the descriptive statistical methods, data were summarized and a chi-square test was done to establish the associations between the demographic characteristics and KAP levels. The level of significance was set at p < 0.05.Results: Of the surveyed mothers, 206 (58.2%) had poor knowledge of neonatal jaundice, and good knowledge was demonstrated by 148 (41.8%) mothers. Concerning attitude towards neonatal jaundice, 202 (57.1%) mothers had a good attitude, and a poor attitude was shown by 152 (42.9%) mothers. Regarding neonatal jaundice practice, 219 (61.9%) mothers had poor practice, while 135 (38.1%) mothers had good practice. There were statistically significant associations between the demographic characteristics and mothers' KAP (p < 0.05). Conclusion: While attitudes toward neonatal jaundice were mostly positive among mothers, knowledge and practice gaps were noted. Improving maternal education, counseling, and awareness initiatives will strengthen early detection and improve health-seeking and preventative measures of complications that arise from neonatal jaundice.

Keywords: Neonatal jaundice, mothers' knowledge, attitude, practice, newborn, Karachi, Pakistan.